Pokemon Duel Review

In case you didn’t know, Pokemon Duel is the new Pokemon game available on your smart phone. Pokemon Duel is a follow-up of the hit 2016 game, Pokemon Go. While Pokemon Go was developed by Niantic, Duel on the other hand is developed by the Pokemon Company.

WHAT WE LIKE

The feature that we like the most in this game is the versus feature, that Pokemon Go clearly lacks. In the game, you get to choose your own 6 Pokemon to take in to battle against opponents.It actually brings the game back to its Nintendo Gameboy roots.

The game play is pretty straight-forward, all you have to do is choose your own 6 Pokemon and have them battle your opponents. The twist here, however, is that this takes place in a counter-top type of battle. The Pokemon here are actually figures with corresponding skill/power points, and the object of the game is to start from your side of the table, and have your Pokemon cross the board towards your opponent’s side. The first one to make it there is declared the winner.

So where is the Pokemon battle, er, duel here? It takes place when two opposing Pokemon inevitably cross each other’s paths on the board. The one who draws the higher damage/skill wins the battle and moves forward on the board.

Another feature that has us loving the game is the ability to battle other players online. This makes the game more interactive as players are paired up with others to duel.

The Pokemon team-up feature also has us smiling, since it involves the use of strategy to defeat the opponent. Think of it as an elaborate chess/checkers game, but instead of using chess pieces, you get to use Pokemon.

Pokemon Duel also has the story mode going for it. It basically gives you a purpose to get better and get stronger Pokemon since you have to compete against opponents to get the prized skyscraper. Think of it as winning a badge against a gym leader. This feature of course, is sorely missing in the Pokemon Go game.

WHAT WE DON’T LIKE

While the Pokemon Duel gives us the battle feature we’ve so yearned for in Pokemon Go, Duel fails to deliver the same experience that Pokemon Go gave players. It took away from the players the ability to catch Pokemon, which gave Pokemon Go its distinct feature.

Instead of going out and catching Pokemon, the players will settle in drawing Pokemon figures from packs that they won during battles. Personally, it takes away the excitement of spotting Pokemon and catching them.

Another thing that Duel has going against it is the luck involved in duels. In order to attack or deal damage in a duel, the players must rely on where the spinning wheel will stop to determine just how much damage his Pokemon will deal against its opponent.

Duel also looks intimidating for first time players as there are certain nuances to get used to. While the tutorial walks the player through the basic game play, it still fails to instill on the player how to play it. It took me at least 3 tries just to get the basics down.

THE VERDICT

The game, while giving us a fresh way of battling Pokemon, still has some issues to fix. It’s cons far outweigh it’s pros, and it still leaves players wanting.

Pokemon Duel would have been better had it been integrated with Pokemon Go to provide players a way to appreciate their hard work in catching Pokemon.

The score: 2/5

Pokemon Duel is available free on both iOS and Android platforms.

Gino is the Gladiators’ resident TV and comic book reviewer and fanatic. He is a lawyer in the making at day, and full-on geek by night. He believes that the lightsaber is the best weapon during a zombie apocalypse. You can get a hold of him on Facebook and Instagram.